


Pretty Girls Like Flowers

by AnonyMouseHuman



Category: EXO (Band), 달의 연인-보보경심 려 | Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (TV)
Genre: Baek remembers, CEO Byun Baekhyun, College Student Hyeran, Exo ships it, F/M, Hyeran doesn't, Idol Baek, Reincarnation, What if Eun had to win over a reluctant Soon Duk?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 04:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20594330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonyMouseHuman/pseuds/AnonyMouseHuman
Summary: What if EunDeok got a second chance at the life they deserved? When World-Famous Idol Baekhyun wakes up with the memories of a Happily Ever After he never quite managed to attain, he sets out to make things right in this life-time. But nobody said love was easy. What will the modern day Eun do when today's version of Sundeok has no recollection of him? How will Baekhyun handle the fact that his wife, who was his truest fan in their last life, is quite close to being his anti-fan in this one? One things for sure, Hyeran won't make it easy for him.





	1. A Vivid Dream

**Author's Note:**

> After more than a year of putting this off, I finally took the plunge. Hopefully there are others out there who still love the couple. I'm not much for Author Notes, so that's it.

When Byun Baekhyun awoke from his dream, he instantly realised that his life would never be the same. One may have thought he would dismiss the vision he’d seen as a terrible nightmare brought on by too many late nights, after all he had been so busy lately, but he was sure of it. He could vividly recall the feel of his brother’s arrow piercing his arm then his stomach, could still feel the slash of his other brother’s blade ending his misery… but they were not what convinced hm that he had not just dreamt up a make-believe life-time. What he’d felt before that… watching her fall… being unable to protect her even after committing himself to her… his brain was not that sadistic. So he didn’t even try to pretend everything was normal, instead he focused on what he knew.

He remembered it all. 

Days of playing, running from tutors, teasing his brothers, getting teased back. Seeing the world so simply. Wanting so little, but never daring to reach for it. Holding a diamond in his palms, but treating it like an unwanted curse. Melting slowly day-by-day and realising the worth of that he’d over-looked. He remembered the childishness… He felt the regret that had bloomed in him those final months… Felt the love that he’d spent so long blind to… Eun had lived a hollow life… having everything but never realising it…

He'd lived a full life as Byun Baekhyun. Dreamt a dream, nurtured it, cultivated it and lived it to the fullest. But there had always been an unexplainable void. An inexplicable feeling of loss… of emptiness… He had tried to fill it in any way, always distracting himself. Those that knew him well could testify that he would always be the first to cut through moments of silence or contemplation with a joke. The quiet had never been his friend. Because it allowed his thoughts to wander, to drift off into a place where he was not cheerful Baek, the mood-maker, but rather a lonely person. He’d always wondered… why did he feel this way? What loneliness could he be experiencing when he was surrounded every moment by his friends, his members, his brothers and their fans? 

But it hadn’t started when he entered this life of an idol… no, he’d felt it long before that. He wasn’t missing his parents, they supported him from a distance and he actually preferred it that way, had never experienced anything different whilst growing up due to their busy work lives. The infamous Byuns had always been live-and-let-live type people. Their Chaebol status had not made them cold to their only son, they loved him and supported his thirst for his own dreams and path, but they had inspired independence in him above all. No, even as a child, the hole he felt inside could never be filled by a cuddle with Umma or a warm conversation with Appa. He had never truly yearned for their attention. 

The yearning he had felt was different… as if something precious had been stolen from him. As if he’d experienced heartbreak and it still lingered in the back of his mind, awakened by certain smells or sights or moments of undesired solitude. He hadn’t understood it then, but now he knew perfectly why he’d felt tears well up at the sight of those small pink flowers at age 7… why he’d blown one important stage audition at the age of 16 after he had scented a unique smell of metal and become a nervous wreck only for it to turn out to come from a suit of armour being used as a stage prop… why he’d found himself smiling as a gag-man broke the neck of a bird in a wild-life variety he’d shot with his members, as the rest of them grew squeamish… all those oddities made sense now.

He had yearned for his wife… His Sundeok.


	2. A Familiar Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chance encounter sets things in motion... Exo notices something's up with Baek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say... hope you enjoy...

Baekhyun had many questions. He knew he had reincarnated, but had everyone else? What about his loved ones? His brothers... his wife? Honestly, he had thought it would take a long time to find the answer to these questions, but luck seemed to be on his side. 

Luck it appeared came in the form of Baek-Ah or Nam Joohyuk as he was now known. Imagine Baekhyun’s surprise when his younger brother quite literally ran into him as he was making his way through the halls of his management’s building. While he didn’t really appreciate having coffee spilled on him, he was too overjoyed to see this familiar face to get angry… also Joohyuk was lucky that at least it was an iced not a hot americano. 

Baekhyun was truly happy to see him. So happy in fact that he’s now getting odd looks from his members at his reaction to Joohyuk. Baekhyun was no bully, but he had always been the quickest to burst out in anger in the group, so for him to be grinning so widely after one of his favourite shirts was thoroughly stained by coffee… well that was just unheard of.

“S-s-sorry, S-sir!” Joohyuk of course recognized exactly who he had mistakenly drenched in the beverage. He had just doused potentially the most powerful man in the building… arguably the most influential man in not only Korea, but the whole of Asia. Byun Baekhyun was not just a globally recognized idol from the group deemed the Kings of K-Pop, he was also the only heir to one of the biggest Conglomerate’s in Asia. “I-I d-didn’t see you there.”

Joohyuk had been busy on his phone trying to convince Jisoo that ‘no, it would definitely NOT be a good idea to go underground wrestling, and NO he was NOT going to be his second!’, but texting an idiot and walking were not the best combination to ensure safety, so here he was, at the end of a career before it had even begun. The bustling hall had become dead still and noiseless. He could feel dozens of eyes on him, especially the ones boring into him from the soaked idol he was trying not to look at. He’d always known his friendship with that brat would be the end of him… he just hadn’t expected it to be so soon… or at the hand of Korea’s Golden Idol. He winced as he finally looked into what he expected to be an enraged face.

But Byun Baekhyun was just beaming at him.

5… 10… 15… 20 seconds of silence while the older smiled at him wordlessly. Half a minute stretched by until -

“Baek…” It was Suho who finally broke the most tense half minute of Joohyuk’s life (Kim Junmyeon truly was a guardian it seemed). “I’m sure – sorry what’s your name?”

“Nam Joohyuk, Sir.” The ever calm leader seemed the best bet of Joohyuk getting out of this with the least damage, so he turned his pleading eyes to him.

“Right. I’m sure Joohyuk didn’t mean for it to happen. It was a mistake, just let it go and you can go get cleaned up.” The leader moved to steer Baekhyun away, Chen also coming up to help lead him away, but Baekhyun shrugged off his friends and instead swung his arm around Joohyuk’s shoulders.

“No worries, Joohyuk-ah! Accidents happen all the time! Now tell me, how come I’ve never seen you around here before?” Baekhyun was showing off his rectangle smile fully, purposefully ignoring the surprise on his members’ faces. 

Chanyeol had his mouth wide open in shock and Sehun’s usually bored expression was replaced with a confused frown – was this the same guy who threw a fit and moved his bed into the living room, sectioning off a corner with a curtain, after Junmyeon Hyung had left his clutter on his bed in their shared room? Sure that was years ago, but Baekhyun flew into a rage about saesang fans daily and was extra sensitive about his personal space. Now this stranger had come right into that space, wrecked a favourite shirt of his and begun stuttering apologies, but all Baekhyun seemed interested in was making a new friend. While Baekhyun was definitely the quickest to make friends, this situation was unprecedented. 

Baekhyun swiftly learnt that Baek-Ah - sorry, Joohyuk – had only begun working there 2 weeks ago. It turned out that the 26 year old was a recent hire in the music production team and he would be working closely with a rookie group on their debut album. It seemed Baek-ah was still a creative soul even in his reincarnated form, and it appeared he had no clue who Baekhyun was to him, because there was no way the calm and composed Baek-ah would ever stutter apologies to Eun. Maybe Joohyuk had not recovered his memories of their past life yet.

However, regardless of whether he remembered him or not, Joohyuk’s appearance had only stoked the fire the dream had already ignited in Baekhyun. He could not sit around and wait for fate… he needed to find what he’d lost himself. He needed to find his wife.

After assuring Joohyuk of no hard feelings and insisting to the staff who were now hovering around them that all was fine, Baekhyun went to change and proceed with his day. Luckily he still kept an old locker in the building otherwise he’d have ended up having to buy his own merchandise from the store downstairs and, with fan-cams and reporters forever lingering, he didn’t feel like becoming a trend tonight… he could just imagine #BBHwearingBBH.

Despite how happy he was at the confirmation that he was not alone to reincarnate, Baekhyun now had one more worry. Baek-Ah did not recollect him… so would Sundeok?


	3. A Glimpse In The Crowd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chat with Kyungsoo and a fateful sighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognisable, it belongs to individuals who own it.

“... then we’ll move on to Europe for 9 weeks...”

Baekhyun knew he was meant to be paying attention, but he’d toured around so much these past few years that people and places had begun to meld into one. Travelling across the world had long lost its appeal and now, while he still loved performing in front of his fans, the details seemed far less significant. He would go wherever he was directed. Regardless of where in the world he lands, his Eris are still the same - they light up his field of vision as he lights up the stage.

Exo were sitting around the conference table being briefed on their main upcoming schedule. Their latest comeback had once again broken records and they had decided to put aside solo schedules for the latter half of the year and instead focus on giving back to their Exo-Ls for all their support by going on a full fledged tour. Of course, there were still a few months before this would come to fruition. Currently, they were still carrying out final promotions for the repackage that had already broken records.

Baekhyun’s mind drifted as the Director in front of them drones on. He found himself thinking of sparkling eyes... full cheeks... heart-shaped lips... she felt like rose petals pressing on his lips... her determined kiss... her puzzled face... her innocent questions... her... just her... sneaking looks at him when she thought he wasn’t looking... a gentle look in her eyes... hiding her disappointment at his thoughtlessly harsh words... an almost invisible sheen of tears... snapping at him when he went too far... a lioness rearing her head at him... putting her everything on the line to keep him safe... smiling... blushing... giggling... falling... laying there on the ground... lifeless...

Baekhyun’s fist clenched, eyes shut tight. He wished that terrible sight away. Unbidden, a tear slipped down his cheek and his tense movements must have caught the attention of his members because he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Dragging a quick hand over his face, Baekhyun pulled himself back to the present and turned to face a bespectacled Kyungsoo. His misery must have been obvious if Kyungsoo has initiated contact, the Number 1 Actdol usually expressed himself from a distance. Baekhyun tried to muster up a smile, but it seemed unsuccessful as Kyungsoo was still looking at him with concern and did not remove his hand.

The rest of the meeting passed with him trying to pay attention while doing his best to ignore the worried looks being thrown at him and he sighed in relief when it was over. However, it did not see he was off the hook just yet. The others bundled out but Kyungsoo held him back as he tried to leave the room.

When the conference room had cleared, Kyungsoo pushed up his glasses and turned to face him.

“What’s up Baek? You haven’t been yourself these last few days, and then there was that whole scene in the hallway earlier and now… were you crying? What’s wrong? How can I help?” Kyungsoo kept his eyes locked with him as he spoke.

For a moment Baekhyun contemplated lying and laughing off his odd behaviour… but this was Kyungoo. The guy who he riled to no end, but also the one he’d be the first to defend. They’d always gotten along well despite their major and quite obvious personality clash. This was someone Baekhyun could always share his troubles with, so he settled on a half-truth.

“Things are… things are hard… I’m going through something, and I’m confused and scared, but it’s like I’m empty. A part of me is just missing and I don’t… I can’t…” Baekhyun trailed off, unable to find the right words.

Kyungsoo considered him for a moment, then spoke slowly.

“Whatever it is, don’t let it consume you. You’re not alone in anything, you have us. If you need help, you know there are always 8 brothers here for you to turn to. Don’t shoulder it alone.”

While he appreciated the sentiment, this was not really something he could share with them without convincing them he was off his rocker, so Baekhyun just cracked a smile.

“ I know Kyungja. Thank you. Now let’s go, we’re late for our next schedule.”

Luckily for Baekhyun, Kyungsoo was not one to push an unwilling conversation. The two made their way to their cars. Gone were the days where they travelled as a whole, packed like tinned sardines into one or two vans. Their hardwork and loyal fans had elevated their status far beyond the normal luxury of idols. Baekhyun’s recent participation in some of his father’s investments during his spare time along with his solo and group activities had totalled to him in particular being untouchable in terms of personal wealth. Now he travelled with just one manager in a Range Rover only used for schedules.

Today Exo was to participate in an episode of School Attack. It seemed like a big headache to be perfectly honest, with the likelihood being that they would get rushed by over-zealous girls the minute they step foot on campus, but fans loved these snippets of Exo on various variety shows, so it was a necessary evil. Baekhyun hoped he wouldn’t meet any extreme saesangs today, given that they would be trying to record at SNU, which was regarded the most competitive college in Korea, but even the best educational systems would house massive Exo fans. 

Things actually were going surprisingly smoothly for the beginning half of their visit. They got through to the lecture hall they would ‘invade’ undetected and surprised the majority of the large room into tears. They had interrupted a Senior Calculus Class and Baekhyun could tell just by a glance at the board that most students would be more than glad for the distraction they posed. Sure there were a few boys here or there getting up to leave once they realised that the lecture would not continue for the day, but unfortunately they had to stay seated lest the left the hall and informed anyone else of Exo’s presence – the members needed to leave the campus in one piece.

It was as Kai, Sehun and Lay (yes, Mr Zhang Yixing is going to be promoting in Korea for this story) were demonstrating the signature move of their most recently released song, that Baekhyun chanced a glance to the right of the crowd. A figure seated between two cheering girls. Head lowered. Earplugs in both ears. A baseball cap covered her face as she focused on the book resting in her hands. The flowing curls brushing her shoulders were the only real indication she was in fact a girl. 

Chen nudged his shoulder. Without realising, Baekhyun had been staring at the girl for the past 10 minutes and everyone was starting to take notice, whispers erupting around the room. Suddenly aware of his surroundings, he tried to drag his eyes away, but in that moment she glanced up. The cap no longer shaded her features. Those eyes – sparkling. Those cheeks – full. Those lips – heart-shaped. Baekhyun stumbled forward, his body, mind and heart all focused on one thing. 

Sundeok. His Sundeok.


	4. A Stranger Who Knows Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A famous stranger shakes up Hyeran's Calculus Class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Hyeran's P.O.V. for this chapter. Not sure how it turned out.

Ji Hyeran was not having a good day.

It had started as a normal enough morning, her morning shift at the café as busy as ever. Whilst nobody can really argue that serving caffeinated beverages to frazzled office workers is a perfect start to the day, Hyeran had never viewed it negatively. She actually liked the systematic bustle as she took orders and prepped drinks – it could even be soothing some mornings, when she could get lost in her own little world as she worked. Sure it was physically tiring waking up at 4 in the morning, and she ALWAYS found herself sprinting for 15 minutes to get to her morning class on time, because she NEVER quite managed to make it in time to catch the early bus to campus.

However, today’s shift took a turn for the worst due to three consecutive spillages and the late arrival of Jin Kijoo, who was supposed to take over her shift. Eventually, Hyeran found herself racing full speed to her Calculus class, reaching five minutes late. Mr Kim silently glared at her over his half-moon glasses as she bowed in silent apology and took a seat at the end of one of the rows, but he did not reprimand her verbally. She didn’t make a habit of tardiness and she hoped he wouldn’t hold it against her, especially when he had so kindly allowed her into his Senior Calculus Class when she was only a Freshman. Because of this she was well on her way of cutting down her four years of college into three – something she desperately needed as tuition cost was so high.

But Hyeran’s bad morning did not end here.

No, had it ended here, it would have been a non-issue, but today was not her day.

So, I guess Ji Hyeran’s bad day really started when her lecture hall was chosen as the target for Exo’s episode of School Attack. It was just like it was shown on T.V., nobody had any idea that this would occur, screams echoing the hall as the Kingsof K-Pop entered. Even Mr Kim looked astonished for a minute before he collected himself. Once it was determined what was happening, a few uninterested male students began to leave, and Hyeran decided to join them. It was obvious no more mathematical learning would be occurring in this class today… that is to say if you didn’t consider choreography an integral part of Calculus.

Unfortunately (bad luck striking again), nobody was allowed out until filming completed to avoid premature leaking of Exos’ presence, which would no doubt lead to a stampede. Turning back, Hyeran found herself pulled to sit in between Seohyun Unni and Boyoung Unni, two seniors she had developed a friendship with due to her classes. They were also massive Exo fans, which was unsurprising as it was not really easy to find anyone in South Korea who wasn’t. Sighing at both of their endless gushing and the excited chatter all around her, Hyeran calmly pulled out the novel she kept in her bag for moments of solitude in a busy day. Honestly, it was a wonder that she had grown close to these girls, but it was all because so long as they were not drooling over the men beginning to dance in front of them, they were two of the kindest and friendliest souls, who had really taken the younger under their wing. When she had arrived on that first day, younger than everyone at 20, they had quickly welcomed her into their fold. Now, 8 months later, she didn’t know what life would be like without her two favourite unnies. If only they were not such big fan girls. 

It was a bit funny really to watch them lose their composure, but not at the cost of her study time. Seohyun Unni was clapping in a way quite reminiscent of a seal as her bias Kai performed his intricate body rolls, while Boyoung Unni was engrossed in chanting as her bias Baekhyun began to sing. Really, she should have sat back and laughed at them, but Hyeran had always been the shy type. She hated attention and, although she knew most of the girls in the room (and a fair number of boys too) were reacting similarly to her friends, she was still internally cringing in embarrassment. Her only small bit of fortune today was that she’d decided to wear a baseball cap that shielded her bright red face from view, although to be honest, she was always hiding behind a cap or a hoodie or her glasses or if all else failed, her shoulder length hair. 

Boyoung Unni had tried so hard to make her experiment with various fashions, but the reality was that jeans, hoodies, sweatpants, t-shirts were all she was a) comfortable in and b) could afford. She just wasn’t made for all that other stuff and make-up was a massive no, despite Seohyun Unni’s best efforts. It all felt foreign and suffocating. Hyeran could not for the life of her understand spending 30000 won on a lipstick just because it was the most trending shade used by the most trending celebrity. In fact all kinds of celeb culture was beyond her, including but not limited to the boys she was avoiding looking at. Sure their music was great, their performances unmatchable and their handsome features incomparable. But, No. Better to focus on the book, Ji Hyeran.

She was just getting totally consumed in the life of the protagonist when she felt the eyes boring into her. At first she thought she was imagining it, but the feeling persisted. Wondering if Mr Kim was using the disruption as a way to freely glare at her for her earlier tardiness, Hyeran looked up. Instantly, her eyes collided with a lightly eye-lined pair that were gazing at her steadfast in... awe? Frowning, she turned towards her friends, trying to figure out what was going on, but they had stopped their cheering and were gazing at that boy in surprise too. 

Puzzled she pulled her cap further down, realising the rest of the hall was beginning to look from the idol to them by following the direction of his gaze. Shockingly, the guy (Baekhyun she realised belatedly from Boyoung Unni’s frantic whispers (“Ommo ommo!! Baekhyun Oppa!”) as she shook Hyeran) took a step forward and then jumped right off the stage and sprinted up the aisle. With all eyes on him, he stopped in front of her. 

He exhaled as if he’d been holding his breath for a while, “Sundeok-ah...”


	5. A Messy Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For attention-hating Hyeran, she’s in the worst possible position. So she runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Took longer than expected. Hope you like it.

“Sundeok-ah...” Baekhyun finally released the breath he had been to afraid to breathe as he hurried to assure he was not mistaken

Here she was, in the flesh, before him. 

Even in a baggy hoodie and sweat pants, he recognised the vision of his wife that he had been so desperate to see.

Even as she looked at him puzzled as if she had no recollection of him, he recognised her as the girl who had given her everything for him.

He reached forward with a hand, the strong desire to touch her and ascertain her presence overcoming his common sense that he was in a room full of people watching, and his members were now calling his name. Just as he came into contact with one soft cheek, Sundeok flinched and backed away. His hand followed.

Baekhyun kneeled down so his eyes were level with hers as he cupped her cheek and clasped her arm tightly with his other hand, afraid she’d disappear again and take with her the light and warmth that had started to consume his heart the moment he caught sight of her.

“Sundeok-ah... Sundeok-ah... I found you...” 

He dropped the hand on her face and leaned further in, wanting to hold her to himself and never let go, but as he moved to envelope her in his arms, he felt the strong hands of his members yanking him back. 

“Baekhyun-ah, what the f*** are you doing?” He heard Chanyeol murmur into his ear as he pulled at him to let go of Sundeok.

But Baekhyun was in no condition to offer explanations. Here was his wife, in front of him, living, breathing... when his last memory of her was so horrific, how could he possibly part with her for even a second. 

Pretty soon all the members had joined him and were coaxing him to let go, realising that using force would only lead to him pulling the frightened girl along with him, his hold on her never slackening. Finally it was Yixing who got through to Baekhyun.

“Baekhyun-ah stop it! You’re going to hurt her!” The usually serene and dreamy voice of Exo’s Lay was completely firm as he clasped onto the hand that would not let go of the terrified girl. 

Slowly, Baekhyun regained his senses. He had made a massive scene and he could hear all the whispers surrounding them. Hesitantly, he let go of Sundeok. Never removing his eyes from her, he backed away a little. Taking in the way she was hunched away and her skin had turned pale, he began to realise that what had been a heavily awaited reunion to him, had come as a shock to her. He was finally registering that she looked... scared... scared of him.

Baekhyun let his members pull him away now, the fact that they had a hundred spectators only now really dawning on him. The only reason that Exo was not being swarmed in this position was the security detail that formed a protective ring around them and Sundeok, whom he had been latched onto. But there were girls trying to breakthrough, to get a chance to grasp their idols. Baekhyun could clearly see that all the attention, that he was used to, was overwhelming to Sundeok, who had her head lowered and seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible.

Unconsciously, his body moved to shield her from all the prying eyes, but he was now being held at a safer distance by a majority of Exo members. As he struggled against them, his manager joined the throes and ordered the cameras be turned off. With fans trying to burst through, the idols trying to hold Baekhyun and the staff attempting to keep both parties separate, whilst also salvaging something of the forgotten shoot, and some unaffected boys documenting the crazy sight on their phones, it was no surprise that the bell signalling the end of lecture time was largely unheard.

But for Hyeran that bell was a godsend and she heard it’s shrill ring loud and clear. More than done with this bizarre situation and all the stares it had brought her way, she wasted no time even stopping for her things. Utilising the small space before her and everyone else’s preoccupation, Hyeran dived out of her seat. Avoiding all eyes and ignoring the yells behind her, she slipped under the arms of a large security guy, who made no attempt to stop her, pushed right through the throngs of girls crowding around, who were not really interested in her, dashed up the stairs that were thankfully clear of people and straight out the double doors, which were no longer guarded by personal. 

Thankfully, the rumours of Exo’s presence had not yet spread, because she found a clear hallway before her, the only traffic being regular students along their way to their next class. However, she knew it would only take seconds and a whisper of the idols’ attendance for these ‘normal’ individuals to replicate the horror inside the lecture room she had escaped, so Hyeran kept hurrying forward, potentially looking like a mad woman whilst doing so. What she did not expect was the sound of the doors she was trying to leave far behind slam open with enough force to draw all the attention of the hallway. Shocked, she froze.

“Sundeok-ah!” 

Before she could even turn around, she felt strong arms envelope her from behind. 

This was definitely the MOST humiliating moment of her life. When your biggest desire in life is to slip through under the radar, then the experience of having K-pop’s King back hug you in the middle of your university’s hallway in front of your peers is pretty much the most traumatic event possible. 

Hyeran’s fist clenched. Either she got out of here right this minute, or she had a nervous breakdown in this weirdo’s arms. Knowing she had only this small moment before they were cornered from every angle, she needed to decide NOW. The former was preferable, the latter unbearable. So at the complete end of her tether, she elbowed Byun Baekhyun with as much force as she could muster, right in the rib cage. Simultaneously, she stamped her sneakers foot onto his expensive shoes, and dig in with her heel.

“Aah! Yah!”

As Baekhyun dropped down on one knee, winded and clutching his foot, Hyeran used his distraction and sprinted away. This time she did not stop for anything. 

To hell with this.

To hell with Baekhyun.

Maybe if she had waited, she would have seen Baekhyun’s mirthful cries as he could not get through the forming crowd to follow her. Maybe if she had waited, she would have felt petty at his forlorn expression as he finally gave up and let the security lead him to his members. Maybe if she had waited, she would have heard the pain in his voice as he uttered just one word. One name...

“Sundeok-ah...”


	6. A Formal Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of rambling. Baekhyun playing a chess game with his brothers' lives. CEO Baekhyun. Formal Baekhera introduction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I actually originally wrote this chapter very differently. It was more of a member meeting between Exo where they all gave Baekhyun a piece of their minds for his major freak out and then he told them the truth – about being a reincarnation of Wang Eun and finding Sundeok etc. BUT genius that I am, I managed to delete all that… so then I had a major freak out and couldn’t bring myself to write on this story anymore, because no way would I have been able to write all those words out the same way again. HOWEVER, after some lovely people left some kudos on this work I was forced to remember that ‘yes, it still exists’ and so I took another look and decided I didn’t want to do a big reveal to the members. Let them think he’s weird or fell in love at first sight or whatever. I think it would be too OOC for them all to believe him. So, while I am sad that my overly emotional chapter got deleted, here’s the Chapter 6 that you get.)
> 
> Please note I’ve changed things a bit. Haesoo is not a time traveller in this story. She lived and died in the past. She reincarnates with the others. Also let’s pretend the tragic events of Moon Lovers are in thoroughly recorded history so that Baekhyun knows everything that went down even after his death, and also the things he was unaware of when he was alive.
> 
> Please forgive any mistakes. As you may have noticed this is unbeta-ed.

Ji Hyeran P.O.V. 

So it turns out, stomping on the most popular man in Asia? Yeah, not the best idea. Well, at least if you aren’t trying to gain instant notoriety, because to be honest, it’s a sure fire way to get noticed. Hyeran would definitely recommend it for anyone desperate for a little limelight, problem is that was certainly not her. How to fade into anonymity when you’re suddenly public enemy No.1?

Everywhere she turned, there were girls cursing about the strange person who had attacked their beloved Prince Charming. Posters had been put up, condemning the thoughtless violence against a revered guest to the University. By the end of the week the conclusion had been made that a crazy anti-fan had attempted to fulfil a vendetta against the honourable Byun Baekhyun and were that perpetrator to be found, they would no doubt have hell to face. Worst of all, the news had not been contained to SNU. Oh no, that was not possible when the victim in question was a certified superstar. Fans all over social media were going wild in anger at the culprit. There had even been articles circulating on major news networks about toxicity of anti-fans and fears for the safety of the nations’ beloved idols. To think she’d made it on tv, at prime time… heck, her actions had shared screen space with some seriously influential people. Needless to say she stopped perusing the newspaper during her night job.

Her little glimmer of light in this terribly bleak situation? Nobody had any clue the offender had been her. Her persistent effort to live her life as invisibly as possible had borne fruit. Her ever present layering of hoodies and baggy clothes meant that not even her gender had been revealed to the general public. Thank the Lord for small blessings. 

However, this did not help the fact that a whole hall of her classmates had witnessed Byun Baekhyun’s strange interaction with her. Some were convinced he somehow knew her. Even her friends had conducted a full interrogation when they finally found her. Luckily, they’d grabbed her belongings from the lecture hall for her. Even luckier, they didn’t doubt a word she said about having NO clue why Byun Baekhyun had accosted her like that. Unluckily, nobody else initially shared their belief in her. She endured two days of girls tailing her asking questions about him. She didn’t even know the names of all his albums, how could she know what his favourite food is? When they realized this the interest started to mellow down, as they all decided that it had just been a misunderstanding. Boyoung Unni and Seohyun Unni had told her the official explanation now adopted by everyone. Apparently she had been mistaken as a family friend by Baekhyun, leading to his overenthusiastic greeting of her. Well that kind of made sense… why else would he have approached her with familiarity? He’d called her by soe old sounding name too… it must have been a misunderstanding. Accepting this and still sort of feeling bad for potentially injuring him (his career directly involved his feet remaining in good condition), Hyeran decided there was little to no point harbouring a grudge against a man she would never meet again. Yes he’d inconvenienced her, and made it REALLY difficult for two days, and she hated the posters and the news, but maybe it had all been an honest mistake. Whatever the reason, no point crying over spilt milk. So she put it out of her mind and continued on with her life.

Between juggling her part-time jobs and full-time education, Hyeran quickly forgot about the strange occurrence and her days were once again horribly busy but blissfully monotonous. The break came and went by quickly and a new semester began. But you know that saying, the calm before the storm? Well, Hyeran’s ‘calm’ only lasted less than two months. The wild wave that crashed against the peaceful shores of her life came in the form of her very first Applied Business & Entrepreneurship Seminar. The professor had decided to begin the semester with a guest attendee. 

This class was a requirement in order for her to proceed towards her goal of early graduation by combining two subjects into one, but it was once again another elective where she was the youngest in the set and being the only first year in a class of final year students was never fun. This would be especially tedious as this seminar involved whole class discussions, and Professor Lee was famous for his habit of picking on quieter students. Honestly, she was lucky to have gotten in as this professor did not usually offer younger years a place. So it was with a sense of dread that she joined Boyoung Unni in taking a seat in the middle of the lecture room, which was quite small in comparison to their usual halls and hosted only up to 30 students. Seohyun Unni had taken this class in last year and had shared her little know-hows with the. Apparently you would be safest if you avoided front or back seats and tried to keep eye-contact with the lecturer at minimum, whilst given her your full attention. The aim was to show interest in the topic and your concentration, whilst not coming off as too enthusiastic. 

Remembering what Seohyun Unni had said about Professor Lee’s strictness on professional dress code etc., Hyeran made sure to ditch her usual hoodie and jeans for a more formal jumper and slacks, while Boyoung Unni hastily wiped away at the remnants her hot pink lipstick as they waited for their professor to arrive. Lee Ra-in was undoubtedly the most feared female professor in their faculty, therefore the hush that fell upon her entrance was no surprise.

What was surprising however, were the gasps that followed as a male figure followed her into the room. 

“O-omo! Hyeran-ah, that’s Baekhyun!” Hyeran didn’t need Boyoung Unni’s excited whisper in her ear to recognise the unexpected guest. Even though he’d changed his designer jeans for a tailored-to-perfection suit, and his blonde locks for a more natural brown, there was no mistaking Byun Baekhyun. 

Murmurs filled every corner of the room, some girls even beginning to hyperventilate.

“Attention, attention! Enough chatter! Where are your manners?! This is not the way to behave in front of a guest!” It was a credit to Professor Lee’s frightful reputation that the class stilled at once.

“Joesonghabnida.” The room chorused the apology in unison, Hyeran just mouthing the words, having not yet overcome her shock.

“Please refrain from such behavior henceforth. Now, as most of you already know, I am Professor Lee and I will be you professor for this class this semester. With a PHD in Business from Yale School of Business and over 10 years of teaching experience at university level, I must assert that I know what I’m doing teaching you. Listen to me. Follow my rules. Complete my assignments to my specification, and there is no doubt that you will excel in your future. While I’m sure that enthusiastic response was 70% for me,” Professor Lee peered at her students sardonically over her spectacles. “Let me also introduce today’s guest attendee, Mr. Byun Baekhyun. As I expect you all know from the news, Mr. Byun has officially joined the world of business in this past month. Having stepped up as CEO of Byun Enterprises, he maintains his career as an idol and part of Korea’s top idol group Exo, while running the most profitable company in this country, if not the whole of Asia. Under his direction and strong leadership, stocks of his company are soaring and two lucrative Fortune 500 deals are already well underway. Today we can learn the art of multi-tasking and excelling by a truly successful man.”

Applause echoed the room and Hyeran had to remind herself to go along with it. Maybe avoiding the news had not been the best idea. She hadn’t known about Byun Baekhyun’s heroic debut into the world of business. But even if she had, she never would have imagined she would be in such close proximity to him again. And they said lightening did not strike the same place twice.

Realising she had been gawking at the man, much like all the other students, Hyeran dragged her eyes away from his form. But she could feel eyes on her. Eyes burning into her. His eyes burning into her. A million thoughts passed her mind. Was he still confused over her identity? Or had he realised his folly but remembered her from that incident? Did he remember her as the culprit who had assaulted him the last time he was here? He assaulted you first. Even if nobody else believes it, he knows what he did. Her brain tried to calm her down. But he probably wasn’t expecting you to do that. Probably nobody’s ever treated him like that before. He must be sooo mad at you. An unpleasant voice sounding much like her aunt chimed up. You’re so dead.

Chancing a glance up at his face, Hyeran was taken aback. What was that smile? A full rectangle of pearly whites beamed at her. Don’t think she’s exaggerating, he was looking at her like she hung the sun, the moon, the stars and all the galaxies. To anyone else that look might have exuded enough warmth to melt the coldest heart, for Hyeran it felt ominous. What was this guy up to this time?

Baekhyun P.O.V.

There she was. Before his eyes. Beautiful as ever.

It had been a long month since he’d last seen her in the flesh, and now he just wanted to drink her in.

He hadn’t wanted to stay away from her so long, but it had been a necessary evil. He could not let history repeat itself. Last time the force of his brother’s greed had stolen their happiness, this time he would see to it that he eliminated every potential enemy before they even arose. It was crystal clear to him that if he had returned, Baek-Ah had returned and Sundeok too, then the others were also out there. So he searched. He joined Byun Enterprises properly and he searched them all out. 

His father and mother had been overjoyed at his sudden decision. They had taught him all the tools needed to take this path since birth, although they had provided him with full encouragement to forge his own path too. It had actually surprised him how swiftly they began to organise their own retirement plans. He had not asked them to step down, but it seemed as though they had been waiting for this moment, not quite believing it would ever come. Not that anyone knew, but his father even had grand plans to make him Chairman before the next year was out.

Baekhyun almost regretted that their approval held the least importance in his major decision. He was doing this because he needed the power, the authority and the resources that were readily available to him in his new position. He needed them to exert a tight control over his relatives and enemies, past and future. So he asked his members and fans for a little time. He was not leaving them, he was just expanding his horizons and fulfilling his responsibilities. He would remain active as Exo’s Baekhyun. 

He had delved into researching the past and found the bloody mess his brothers had made, and he used this and their current lifestyles to formulate the best way to handle them all. 

Baek-Ah could carry on as Nam Joonhyuk, building his career in music production, Baekhyun had made sure to put in the best word for him. Through him he actually found Wang Jung. Finding out that Joonhyuk was actually as close in this life to Wang Jung A.K.A. Kim Jisoo, as he had been in the past made Baekhyun feel true warmth inside. These two had been the best part of Wang Eun’s youth despite their numerous squabbles and he was truly happy to have them around. Jisoo was a former Taekwondo champion who had fallen on harder times after being framed in a drug abuse scandal, and now coasted through life, picking all the wrong fights for all the right reasons. Baekhyun had been glad to clear his name and restore his former glory, whilst providing funding and sponsorship for his return to his sport, well within his abilities as the head of a conglomerate. It had though been decidedly awkward when Jisoo had discovered he was the anonymous benefactor and barged into his office to express his eternal gratitude. Baekhyun had shaken off the thanks and invited him and Joonhyuk out for a drink. It had steadfast become a weekly thing.

Finding Wang Wook had again been majorly luck as he turned out to be Kang Haneul, one of the younger lawyers on the company’s specialised team. Married to Park Sieun, who bore turned out to be the sister-in-law he had much liked in his past life, his older brother seemed to be living a good life. It had been conflicting for Baekhyun, for while he had always in the past admired this brother, his knowledge of history and how little Wook had ultimately cared for him made him wary of Haneul. So wary that he appointed two new members to the team of lawyers, specially instructed to keep their eyes on him.

Similarly, when Wang Mu resurfaced as Kim Sanho, a Chef in Gangnam, Baekhyun bought the Five Star hotel housing his restaurant and appointed staff to keep an eye on him. Overall, it turned out to be a wise investment and his father had even called to say how proud he was that Baekhyun had convinced the owner to sell up. This hotel was in prime location so had been in the eyes of many potential buyers, but the owner had been vehemently opposed to making any deals despite his ever-growing gambling debts. What Baekhyun did not reveal to a single soul was that he had won the hotel in a poker match. Of course he had compensated the man, who left with no bad feelings, actually complimenting Baekhyun on his skills.

Baekhyun had never really liked Wang Won, even in childhood. They had never really rubbed one another the right way. Finding him out to be Yoon Sunwoo, a news anchor, had consisted of no more effort than turning on the television, and hearing him talk about the attack on Baekhyun’s person by an anti-fan at SNU had made him cringe. Hastily, Baekhyun made all arrangements so no leaked footage of his supposed ‘attack’ could be shown. Then he’d enquired into how much stock they owned in that particular news channel. Apparently, a lot. Arranging staff to monitor Sunwoo was easy. All it took was a single meeting with the Chief of the channel and he’d created a net around Sunwoo. As long as he stayed within its confines he would thrive. Were he to attempt to extend beyond that in any way that could affect Baekhyun badly, well that net would become a cage pretty fast.

He was recognising a trend. Those who had died unnatural deaths before their time, having lived unfulfilled lives, had resurrected. It reminded him of a rare conversation he’d once had with Jimong, his father’s astrologer. ‘Time is fluid… It is not bound by constraints… It has the power to right wrongs… to beat destinies…’ Neither King Taejo, nor any of his wives could be found. It made him a little sad that he would not see his mother or maternal grandparents again, but he had come to terms with their deaths long ago. He also noticed that he was the only one who held his past memories. Whilst this should have perhaps consoled him that these people would not seek enmity with him, he could not take such a risk.

Kang Hannah, an up-and-coming actress he was scheduled to shoot an advert with, turned out to be Yeonhwa. The anger he felt as he gazed upon an image of her was immense. All the unfortunate events she had catalysed in her greed. Yes he knew what she had done, that she had revealed their location to Wang Yo. It had not been a difficult leap to make, knowing what he now did of her rise to royal consort. It was with no guilt at all that he cancelled the shoot, refused to ever work with her and requested Kyungsoo to not take up a role he was contemplating opposite her. Always putting his members before himself and trusting that they would not guide him wrong, Kyungsoo had readily agreed. If Baek said this girl was not to be worked with then he would listen to his advice. Baekhyun then arranged a meeting with her management and made a deal. He would invest in the launch and promotion of their newest idol group, and they would captivate Kang Hanna in an airtight contract, not allowing her the freedom to make any more malicious plans.

Wang So was a tough find in this lifetime, but he guessed that was mainly because he was looking for a scarred and broody individual, instead of a charismatic, friendly Captain Lee Joongi of the ROK Army. Seemingly Wang So lived a much more blissful life without the poisonous shadow of Empress Yoo looming over him. He remained a soldier through and through and he still found the love of his life. Lee Jieun was a doctor completing her fellowship at the SNUH and Joongi’s girlfriend and the reincarnation of Haesoo. (Anyone else getting the vibes of a really popular kdrama couple? No? Just me?) 

Knowing what had become of them previously, Baekhyun was honestly tempted to meddle. Wang So had truly loved him, but he’d also been the downfall of them all, no matter how inadvertently. Of course he didn’t blame him for killing him, for that had been an act of mercy, but there were heinous crimes he had committed afterwards. However, he really believed these two deserved a Happy Ending. So he let them progress on their own, whilst also expanding his dealings with both the Army and SNUH. It could never hurt to be careful.

Finding Chaeryung and Woohee so close to his Sundeok had really left a bad taste in his mouth. Chaeryung was now Jin Kijoo, Sundeok’s co-worker from her part time job at a café. This was the woman who had betrayed her closest confidant because she had been seduced into revealing her secrets, definitely not someone he wanted near his wife. So he arranged a job offer for her. The severely underqualified girl was recruited by his Jeju office as a resort café manager. Needless to say she jumped at the chance, leaving without proper notice. Baekhyun ensured that her replacement was fully vetoed, sending an overqualified female intern in to do the job, having promised her a permanent position at the company if she played barista for a year.

Woohee was more complicated. Yes, he knew how highly Baek-Ah had thought of her, but this Seohyun was far too close to his Sundeok for comfort. She had once been an assassin, there was no predicting what she was capable of. But she was also one of Sundeok’s only friends… it would not be right to act if it could hurt his wife in any way. For now he arranged for SNU CCTV to be specially monitored by his security teams. He would decide how to deal with Seohyun in time.

His most intense search was for Wang Yo. He was the one puzzle piece that could not be overlooked. Discovering that he now lived a life as Hong Jonghyun, the wealthy son of a politically ambitious family, did not sit well with Baekhyun at all. This man could not hold power. It was far too dangerous. So he hired Asia’s best private investigator. The job: find any and all dirt on the Hongs. And what a finding it was. Scandal upon scandal, seedy crime upon seedy crime, formed the foundation of this family’s success. They hoped to fund their next election campaign for Jonghyun’s father by pushing through a Fortune 500 deal with an American company that left plenty of opportunity to smuggle in cash under the government’s radar. Baekhyun swiftly swooped in and swept the deal from under their heels, his business far more attractive to the American tech. company. Having cut of their funding and forcing them to take a financial hit, Baekhyun had been simultaneously buying out there stock. Within two weeks there was a forced merger, in which he took over Hong Holdings. He left that family to continue working in the management, but put in a few of his own father’s most trusted executives to join them. With that and his juggling of the staff, he had eyes and ears everywhere around Hong Jonghyun. He acted from the shadows and kept a smile on his face whenever they crossed paths in their merger meetings, but Baekhyun was biding his time. One foot out of line and he would not hesitate to use the material he had found to send the whole family to a lifetime trip to prison.

So he’d had a busy two months.

And in the midst of it all, he researched on her. Locked in his work desk was a file on Ji Hyeran. 

20 years old. (They had quite an age difference it seemed, with his own age being 28 years)

Only child.

Orphan. 

Lived with her Aunt, Uncle and two female cousins, one a three years older than her and the other eight years younger. A typical lower middle-class family with her Uncle earning a modest wage being a Taxi driver. The Aunt was a housewife and the older cousin was training to become a news anchor.

Worked three part time jobs. From 5:00-8:00 in the morning she worked at ‘Yu’s Café’. This often overran due to her late co-worker. From 9:00-18:00 she had classes, always spending her hour lunch break in the library. From 19:00-21:00 she tutored high school students. From 21:30-12:00 she worked in the convenience store, extending from 21:30-2:00 on weekends. 

(All in all, unacceptable. She was overworking herself to death. It made his heart clench to see how hard she was trying to make ends meet. He knew how expensive and time consuming higher education could be, having pursued his MBA part time at the beginning of his idol career. To see how tough she had it really tore at him. Especially her late hours at the convenience store. He shuddered to think of the weirdos wandering about at those timings. Needless to say, he arranged a highly secretive detail to follow her and ensure her safety. His Sundeok- wait no- his Hyeran had always been a fighter, but he never wanted to test how good she was in this lifetime. Anything coming for her would have to cross through him first.)

Closest friends, only friends actually, would be Boyoung and Seohyun, who were both her seniors at SNU but they had a few classes together. (Hyeran liked to keep to herself, her basic personality showing to be completely introverted. Back then she had never been overly loud either, although his childishness often rubbed off on her. Honestly, he couldn’t wait to rile her up a little. To see that blush spread over those beautiful cheeks.)

She was taking as many electives as possible, probably in order to graduate faster. It frustrated him how much she was having to push herself. From her list of electives however, he found his way in. Promising to attend a seminar as a guest, he convinced Professor Lee to let Hyeran into her course, despite it being against the older lady’s policy to admit younger students. It would be shooting two birds with one stone. Hyeran would get the same credits of two electives in one, and he could proceed in his plan to win her over. So impatiently Baekhyun waited for the seminar. 

Now he stood before her. He knew his smile must be blinding at this point but he couldn’t help it. It was time to start their lives together properly. He unabashedly kept his stare on her throughout the classes excitement and their professor’s introduction. Hyeran’s face was not covered today and her clothing was a little less loose. Short wavy locks framed her beautiful face and it was impossible to look away. As Professor Lee kept speaking he just watch his love, regardless of how she seemed to squirm under his gaze. It seemed like his attention was disconcerting for her. How cute. 

“And now let us hear from our very special guest.” Professor Lee gestured to him and took a seat with her students.

“Right. Hello guys. I am Byun Baekhyun, CEO of Byun Enterprises and Exo’s Baekhyun. I might growl but I promise I don’t bite.” A chorus of laughter filtered through the room, but the bells he so wanted to hear were missing. So Hyeran didn’t appreciate lame jokes? Noted. “While I’m older than all of you, I like to think I’m not exactlythat old, so please feel free to address as Baekhyun Hyung or Oppa. Now please could you go around the room and introduce yourselves? Just let me know your name, age and major.” 

In no particular order introductions began. Whilst nodding politely and smiling at each student, Baekhyun waited for that familiar voice to speak up. When the girl sitting next to her (with what looked like a hot pink lipstick stain on the corner of her mouth) made her introduction (Park Boyoung, it seemed), he could feel the anticipation thrumming through his entire being. 

“I’m Ji Hyeran.” The voice was especially quiet. “I’m 20 years old and I have not chosen my major yet, sir.”

“Just Baekhyun Oppa is fine Hyeran-ah. You have a lovely name.” It was the first time he’d spoken up during the introductions. It was also their first formal introduction in this lifetime. 

He grinned even more widely at Hyeran.


	7. A New Job Role

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BBH becomes her new boss. Orientation at Byun Corporation and shadow assignment. Hyeran's life is already changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A much delayed update, but exams and studies are time-consuming. Having said that I really did procrastinate with this one, so sorry about that to anyone who's been waiting. It was basically done and just sitting there. But it's a long update by my standards, so enjoy.

**Hyeran P.O.V. **

Byun Baekhyun had a unique smile. A perfect set of pearly teeth encased in soft pink petal-looking lips, forming an unusual rectangle when he grinned. Cheeks pulled up impossibly high. Nose scrunched up impossibly small. Eyes shining with pure warmth that seemed to hold enough power to heat whoever he set his sights upon. Now, you’re probably wondering why Hyeran was taking such note of his smile. Well, it’s a little hard not to take notice when he kept flashing her the same look for the past hour. Continuously.

Hyeran tried her best to shake off the feeling of his stare boring into her and focus instead on her own notes. Whilst he was attention was completely unwelcome, his input and advice was not. Byun Baekhyun spoke in a very charismatic way. His logic was easy to follow and his explanations simple enough to comprehend, while the whole class could not help but marvel at his prowess. The guy had never attended a business school, having achieved his qualifications through distance learning due to his busy schedule, but he had shown in the last hour that he had all the skills required of a successful business man. In some ways, he was quite intimidating.

If only he wasn’t staring at her so blatantly, maybe she would have actually enjoyed his lecture. As it was, she was counting the seconds until the end of session. Just when she thought her misery was almost over, Professor Lee called them all to attention.

“Right, well class that will be enough for today. But before you leave, CEO Byun and I have some very interesting information to share with you.” Professor Lee announced. “Byun Corporation has been generous enough to offer us five internships for students on this course this year. Please, CEO Byun, if you would be so kind as to elaborate.”

Byun Baekhyun looked as excited as the students around the room who were thrilled at this news.

“As you all know, the Exo Worldwide tour is about to begin. While I’m away giving back to my fans and doing what I love, I still need to keep an eye on things at Byun Corporation. I require a team of five to assist me in this. They will join me on tour and be delegated tasks to keep things running smoothly.”

A chance to tour the world with Exo? This sounded like a dream to most of the class.

“With my hectic schedule, it’s imperative that I keep on top of my business matters. Their responsibilities will entail accompanying me at all times and ensuring all matters are dealt with promptly and thoroughly.” He looked around at them with a firm expression, before it melted into his usual cheeky grin. “Of course, there will be a lot of perks. Backstage passes and VIP seats for all the concerts, all meals and accommodation paid for, opportunities to network with some pretty famous people and and lastly but perhaps most importantly, an enviable salary.”

Hoots of approval and a round of applause followed this last incentive. Baekhyun waved them down with the practiced air of an idol, accustomed to receiving such admiration.

Professor Lee stepped in, disapproval clear at the scene they were making. “This is a chance for my most hard-working students. Byun Corporation’s internships are highly competitive. This is not an opportunity that presents itself easily, students. Top tier graduates would be jumping for the chance. You’ll be paid generously just to learn the ropes.”

Hyeran had watched silently as all her colleagues perked up, hanging onto every piece of information being imparted to them. She knew this was a great opportunity, but the chances of her being chosen were non-existent. This was a chance tailored towards seniors and she was still a first year, who was beyond lucky to have even been allowed to join this class.

“So without further ado, the five chosen students who have been carefully selected based on suitability and my expectations of them are as follows: Lee Sera, Kim Doyoung, Kang Kibum, Park Boyoung and Ji Hyeran.” After Professor Lee’s verdict there was a mix of excitement and grumbling. Hyeran was too shocked to know how to react. Feeling Boyoung Unni shaking her frantically, she managed to return her ecstatic beaming with a tight smile.

Ignoring the reactions of her students, the professor continued sternly, “I hope you will treat this privilege awarded to you with the respect it deserves. Represent your college and it’s values to the utmost best of your abilities. Now I want you chosen five to wait behind after class for further instruction.”

At this the bell signifying the end of the session rang. There were a solid 10 minutes of rustling as some female students took extra time gathering their belongings. To be in such close proximity to their idol was not an everyday feat and they tried to stretch the last seconds to the end.

Eventually, however Professor Lee had reached her limit and slammed the folders she was holding down hard on the table.

“I want everyone but the selected interns out! Right now!”

There were many sighs and whines heard, but the room cleared promptly. In the end, the five students stood before their professor and new boss.

Professor Lee places a hand over the folders on her desk.

“Ok, these are the documents you’ll need to fill out and turn in to Mr Byun’s secretary by Wednesday, so she can arrange access cards and make arrangements for the tour. Her E-mail is provided in the information section. You are expected to be present at Byun Corporation’s Head Office on Thursday 11:30 to collect your employee cards and contracts. Your necessary absences have been communicated to all lecturers and whilst you are expected to submit assignments via web resources, due to the nature of learning and growth this opportunity will allow you, consider any missed physical work exempt.” Professor Lee was glancing across at all their faces as she spoke, until her gaze finally landed on Hyeran. “I would like you all to help one another in this experience, and particularly extend some care towards the youngest of the group.”

“Yes, Professor.” They chorused dutifully, but Hyeran could feel the fire in her cheeks. They had been red throughout class due to unwanted attention and now as the others all looked at her, she just knew she was resembling a tomato.

“Then that will be all from me. CEO Byun has informed me he would like a quick word with you all before you can be on your way, so for now I take your leave.” Bowing to Byun Baekhyun, who returned the gesture, Professor Lee spun in her heel and left the room, her strides as powerful as when she had entered.

Byun Baekhyun wasted no time turning towards them.

“So, like Professor Lee just said, I’d like to really see some good teamwork. It’s going to be quite a hectic schedule, but I want to see you all taking good care of the maknae. Okay?” CEO Byun looked them all in the eye, smiling when all the seniors voiced their agreement. Hyeran was trying desperately not to voice her distaste.

‘Kill me know! Why is he doing this to me?!’

“Okay, I want you all to know that, in case of any confusion, my manager and secretary will both be available to guide you. Ideally, try not to ask Jinwook Hyung too much about anything numerical and I’m not sure if Mirae knows too much about fan signings. But if I learned how to separate the idol from the business man, I’m hoping you’ll also pick up quickly. Having said that, two of you will be handling business matters and shadow Gong Mirae, two idol/endorsement matters and shadow Bang Jinwook and one of you will be my shadow. For now I’ll let you take your leave and I look forward to working with you all. Please collect your folders as you leave.”

They each took the folder containing their name and started to leave the room.

Hyeran was lagging a little behind Boyoung Unni who was practically sprinting in excitement, when she found herself face-to-face with her new boss. He blocked her path with his body and stared directly into her face, as if he was searching for something there.

“I’m really looking forward to working with you, Hyeran-ah. I hope you will take good care of me.” Baekhyun did not hesitate to take her hand in between his and grasp it firmly. Unsure of what an appropriate response would be, Hyeran just nodded and muttered, “Thank you for the opportunity, Sir.”

Yanking her hand out of his, Hyeran ducked her head, side-stepped his profile and scurried past him. She didn’t look back, or she would have caught Baekhyun smiling softly at the palms that had just caressed her fragile hand. Unbelievable how in another life these same soft fingers held enough strength to break a birds neck with little effort.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hyeran didn’t really have a dream job. She was a realist. She knew that to survive she needed to make money. To make money she needed a job. Her friends called her practicality soul-draining, she thought it was more self-grounding. This internship was far more than she could have ever hoped for. At first she’d been alarmed that travelling would mean losing her part-time jobs, except at the café, where they were willing to take on a temp and hold her place, but the pay Byun Corporation was promising was more than she’d have made in a whole year. Such luck was not regular in Hyeran’s life and honestly she was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When she’d quietly brought up the topic of her new job to her uncle, he’d been overjoyed for her, declaring that he’d always known she was the cleverest and most capable in their family. When her aunt had overheard the conversation, she’d not appreciate the overzealous praises.

“They pay you, right? Because you know things are tight right now, and our deal was that you’d go study in your fancy college only if you can afford it yourself.” Hyeran’s aunt shooed away her protesting husband.

Hyeran’s education had always been a source of contention within the household. While her uncle always tried his utmost to provide her with the same emotional and financial support he would give his own daughters, her aunt felt that in doing so he was committing a disservice to their actual offspring. This sentiment was not completely unjustified in Hyeran’s opinion. Yes, it was hurtful to be looked upon as a burden, but that is what she had been towards Aunt Jinyi, whom she had no blood relation with. Raising someone else’s child could not have been an easy feat, so truthfully Hyeran bore her no resentment for her favouring the interests of her daughters’ over her niece.

“It will be a payed internship, with all expenditures covered.” Hyeran had assured her aunt.

“But it’s at Byun Corporation! Does that mean you’ll get to see Baekhyun?” Her younger 12-year-old cousin was a die-hard Exo fan. Ji Hwanhee had all the time in the world to ogle her idols, even when she never seemed able to find a minute in between for homework, but as she was a total sweetheart, she was Hyeran’s second favourite person in the house.

“Well, I’ll probably be working under his manager or secretary, because I’m the least qualified, but I think one of the seniors will be working with him.” Hyeran replied timidly. For once she was the centre of attention in the household, but she didn’t really enjoy the sensation. “I actually needed your permission, Samchoon. We’re meant to be joining CEO Baekhyun on tour to manage his workload-”

“The Exo Tour?! As in, their worldwide tour?!” Ji Jinhee was also an Exo fan, though she now tried to hide it, believing she would soon be at their level the minute she became an anchor, and that it would be undignified of her. Hyeran’s older cousin was not a sweetheart. “Take me with you! It’s a perfect way to make connections.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jinhee. You don’t need connections, you just need to pass your exams.” Uncle Chilgoo pointed out sharply.

“Umma!! Appa’s being mean!” As was the norm in such a situation, Jinhee turned to her mother for support, a stream of waterworks at the ready.

“There’s no need to be so cruel, Oppa! She’s been working so hard, my poor daughter.” Aunt Jinyi was quick to comfort Jinhee. Uncle Chilgoo just shook his head at the scene. “Go ahead, Hyeran-ah. We wouldn’t want anyone to say we ever held you back from an opportunity. But work hard and make sure not to be a nuisance. Your employers will have no obligation to bare your burden.” ‘unlike us.’ It was left unsaid, but to Hyeran it was loud and clear. It always had been.

Still, she’d gotten her permission, so she allowed herself a small smile as she was dragged away from Jinhee’s beginning tantrum by Hwanhee, who was chattering away excitedly about all the tour merchandise and autographs she wanted.

** Baekhyun P.O.V.**

Thursday turned out to be a very busy day for Byun Baekhyun, CEO of Byun Corporation. It seemed as if the meetings and trails of paperwork were endless, allowing him no spare time from when he’d arrived at 7, until now. It was now 6 in the evening and he knew that his new interns were just finishing up their orientation. So he found himself waiting in the lobby, the desire to see Hyeran stronger than any exhaustion he might have had after practicing at the dance studio until the early hours of the morning. The tour was just days away, but for now more pressing matters were on his mind, like how he could get a minute alone with her. It was official, Hyeran was addictive. Seeing her the other day had fuelled his need to see her again, to be near her again.

Just then the lift opened and his secretary stepped out, the students trailing her. Hyeran was wearing a floral blouse today, that brought out the colour of her cheeks and blue jeans that her legs in the best way. He quickly averted his gaze. He wasted no time making his presence known.

“Secretary Gong, all done with the interns?” Baekhyun addressed his secretary first. “Yes, Sir.” Secretary Gong quickly bowed, the interns all following behind her. “We conducted the tour. They had a basic orientation under Bong Team Leader in sales. Their documents, passports and visas have all been cleared. They’ve all been given their I.D.s and we’ve gone over basic duties for when we get back from the tour. I was just about to assign them their roles for the tour, before I allowed them to leave.”

“Great, let me help you with that.” Baekhyun grinned. “But first, how did you all get on? Think you’ll enjoy your time with us?”

There was a chorus of ‘Yes, Sir’s, Hyeran’s voice a quiet part of the mix.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now I’m sure you must all be hungry after such a busy day, and I know I’m starving. Let’s all go down to the cafeteria that must definitely have been a part of your tour.” Baekhyun knew his suddenly turning up in the office cafeteria at 6 in the evening was likely to give any of his present employees miniature heart attacks, but he wanted to drag out his moments with Hyeran as long as possible. Sure he was shattered, and there was likely nothing on offer that could suit his dietary needs, and he would be surrounded by his new interns, who could not seem to stop gawking at him, but Hyeran was here and she made it all worthwhile.

**Hyeran P.O.V.**

Never one to disobey the boss, Gong Mirae quickly lead the way to the cafeteria. It was almost funny to think that this was the woman Hyeran had found so intimidating when they first met. When she’d first introduced herself, she’d been harsh and came off like a lion, but in front of CEO Baekhyun, she seemed to be a harmless mouse. Gone was any trace of the woman who had glared at them all as if they were dirt at the bottom of her shoe. Apparently she did not appreciate babysitting them. Luckily Bong Team Leader had taken over from her, because honestly Hyeran did not know if she would’ve have survived a whole orientation under her. Earlier she’d hoped to learn more about business administration be working under Secretary Gong, but now she had her fingers-crossed that she got chosen to work for CEO Baekhyun’s Manager instead. While she wasn’t interested in idol activities, she was very interested in surviving this internship.

They must have been an odd visual, the sharply dressed, rarely-seen CEO, his well-polished trusty secretary, and a bunch of college students, decked in various fashions, walking through the huge corporate building. All the employees passing-by bowed at CEO Baekhyun, then looked curiously at them. They had been told that work appropriate attire would only become necessary after their return from the tour. Hyeran was actually glad she’d ditched her regular hoodie for a more formal blouse though. Paired with her nicest jeans, she had still felt quite self-conscious throughout the day. This really was an amazing place. At past 6 P.M., it looked as if hardly any employees were getting ready to go home. The building was still bustling with activity, all the well-dressed corporate people still hard at work.

Food in the cafeteria was free of charge for employees, new interns included. CEO Baekhyun had been right, there really were many perks to this new internship. He commandeered a table for them with no effort, seeing as how people parted like the red sea to make room for him. A frazzled server ran to take his order, something cafeteria staff were unaccustomed to, because they usually ran a buffet system, but it was not every day the Big Boss came down there.

CEO Baekhyun gestured for them all to take a seat first, Hyeran quickly sitting beside Boyoung Unni. Kibum and Doyoung took the two remaining seats on their side. Sera sat opposite Doyoung and Hyeran could clearly see her disappointment when Secretary Gong took the seat on her right. So it was that CEO Baekhyun sat himself down beside his secretary and opposite Hyeran. Sitting face-to-face like this him was strange. From so close she could clearly see his features. Handsomeness was spread liberally all over his face, and it was honestly hard to tear her eyes away. But then he turned his gaze on her. Yeah, she definitely wanted her hoodie back now. Byun Baekhyun’s stare was so piercing, she could not help but fidget under it.

“Yes, Sir. W-what can I get for you?” The server practically squeaked out.

“Minkook, is it?” CEO Baekhyun turned his eyes away from Hyeran finally to read his name-tag. At the server’s jittery nod he continued. “Well then Minkook, please bring us whatever the best stew and stir-fried dish you have today, along with your best side-dishes and rice. Take your time, okay?”

The gaze was back. Just when she thought she could take it no longer, her saving grace Boyoung Unni began to talk. As an original Baekhyun fan, she let her idol know how much he inspired her. Oh, if only Hyeran had her confidence. To be able to put into words her admiration, while not making him uncomfortable, really Hyeran wished she could have such people skills. CEO Baekhyun took Boyoung Unni’s compliments with grace and continued to nod and smile along lightly as Sera joined in. When the boys began to express their awe at how he’d made the leap from entertainment to business, he also kept that smile on his on his face, but as Hyeran peeked at his features she could see weariness in his eyes. Maybe he had a long day today as well, yet he was still making time for them. I guess she now knew why he had so many fans.

The food came faster than seemed possible and for a while there was no sound but the occasional slurp or chewing. Hyeran just played with a few noodles in front of her, knowing she’d be eating again at the going away sleepover Seohyun Unni had organised for her and Boyoung Unni.

“Are the noodles not to your taste, Hyeran-ah? Have some stew.” CEO Baekhyun had apparently being paying attention to her.

Luckily, Boyoung Unni was there to explain for her, “Oh, that’s okay, Sir. Hyeran-ah is actually a vegetarian.” For a moment CEO Baekhyun looked stumped. Hyeran was not sure why, it was actually not that unusual to be a vegetarian. Then he smiled as if he’d remembered something really funny.

“Well, then. Let me get you something vegetarian.” He made to get up, but again Bouyoung Unni was there to save Hyeran.

“Thank you, Sir. It’s so kind of you, but actually we’re meeting a friend after and we planned to have dinner then.” What Hyeran would give to have such confidence.

“Oh, you have plans.” Baekhyun’s easy smile was still in place. “Well, I won’t hold you long. I actually need to get to the dance studio myself. Shall we get on to assigning you your positions?”

The others had already finished and Baekhyun had only been playing with his food himself, for all his concern of how little Hyeran had eaten. Secretary Gong was swift in pulling out the clipboard detailing their assignments.

“Yes, Sir. Interns Sera and Kibum, you’ll be with myself handling all office-related matters. Interns Boyoung and Doyoung, you have been assigned to CEO Baekhyun’s manager for his idol activities, Mr. Bang Jiwook. You will be organising and co-ordinating his schedule so that nothing falls out of place. Intern Hyeran, you will be assigned to shadowing CEO Baekhyun and seeing to any and all matters that he may require, whilst liasing with the other two teams.” She rattled out there duties bluntly.

Luckily, Hyeran did not show her shock and dismay outwardly (having coached herself for if she was announced as part of Secretary Gong’s team), because CEO Baekhyun had been watching her. He beamed as she met his eyes. This was going to be a very long tour.


	8. A Tour around the Globe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun and Hyeran set off on a tour. Baekhyun begins his plan to get closer to Hyeran

AN: So this update is the kind of late where there’s really no excuse. The bulk of it has just been sitting ready to be posted, but I was just going through a whole lot of indecision and a ton of writing, then re-writing, in addition to heaps of second guessing myself. Sorry for the delay.

**Hyeran’s POV**

In what felt like a blink of an eye, it was Saturday and they were due to take off on what would be Hyeran’s first ever trip abroad. She’d never even taken a domestic flight, forget the hours of international flying awaiting them. Luckily, she had Boyoung Unni with her to share the experience.

“Eeeeeeepppp!! Hyeran-ah this is soooo exciting! I can’t wait to get on the plane!” Boyoung Unni had flown to Jeju before so she had no fears about airplanes and only the excitement for what was to come.

They had just arrived at the agreed meeting point in front of the airport, where Secretary Kang was waiting for them, a frown on her face and a clipboard in her hands. After exchanging greetings out of formality, an awkward silence descended that was unbroken even by the arrival of the rest of the interns.

They had been instructed that they could dress casually for comfort on the journey and throughout the tour, but they were expected to wear their ID badges on their lanyards at all times so that they would have no trouble passing security and reaching the members if needed. Hyeran was comfortable in her black oversized hoodie and leggings, having rebelled against Boyoung Unni once again attempting to upgrade her wardrobe for the trip. The high waisted shorts and pink cropped sweater looked chic and stylish on Boyoung Unni because she was just beautiful. Hyeran had no such delusions about herself.

As they all stood around shuffling their feet, they were approached by a man, who looked like he was in his mid-30s. Secretary Kang immediately greeted him.

“Hi guys. I’m sure you’ve already heard about me, but let me formally introduce myself as Bang Jinwook. I’ve been Baekhyun’s manager for years now and I’ll be taking two of you under my wing for the duration of this tour.” His tone was friendly and his smile seemed sincere as he introduced himself. “Now which of you are with me?”

At Secretary Kang’s nod, Doyoung and Boyoung Unni stepped forward and introduced themselves.

“Right well, I hope that we’ll work well together.” Manager Bang smiled at them warmly. “Ok, so the members should be arriving shortly. When they get here, we’ll take all of their passports and I have a copy of everyone’s tickets right here, so we can get through check-in quickly. The airport staff are aware and will do their best to accommodate us but it’s our job to be efficient.”

Everyone nodded their understanding.

“Who’s going to be Baekhyun’s intern?” Manager Bang asked.

“That will be Hyeran.” Secretary Kang supplied and Hyeran hesitantly raised a hand and dipped her head to indicate who she was.

“Great to meet you Hyeran-shi. Because you’re going to be working in the closest proximity to Baekhyun I think it best we cover a few things first. So you can help me with the check-in and stick with me until the departure time. Now if one of my team could collect all your passports. And the other two please bring along your luggage.” Manager Bang took out his own passport too.

Doyoung obediently collected all their passports including Secretary Kang’s. He handed these to Hyeran and took a hold of the luggage cart in front of her. Throwing her a grin he hurried behind Manager Kang who was leading the way. Boyoung Unni and Hyeran took the remaining cart and both followed him and Manager Bang to their flight’s check-in desk, where they passed all their luggage on to be boarded.

“Right well that’s us sorted. Doyoung-ah you keep a hold of the tickets, okay?” Manager Bang handed them to the male intern. Just then his phone beeped and taking it out he grinned. “Perfect timing. The boys are here. Let’s go get their stuff and get them checked-in too.”

Returning to the others, they saw the cars surrounded by security and bright flashes from numerous paparazzi and fans who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere in no time at all. Almost unanimously, EXO exited their respective vehicles and headed towards Manager Bang. Dressed in varying degrees of extravagant casual wear, they moved like a unit approaching them, seemingly immune to the cheering crowd held back by the security from attempting to reach them.

Byun Baekhyun walked confidently in his ripped jeans, tucking his phone into his pocket. His face was partially hidden by a black mask and cap. His black bomber jacket was unzipped and Hyeran could see a long thin necklace bouncing against his chest as he approached. As he got closer she realised the print on the jacket was of the fashion brand that he was a co-creative director for. Since her appointment as his intern she’d been doing as much research into him as possible and honestly some of the stuff she found was scary detailed. His likes, dislikes, hobbies and habits were all splashed across the internet, just a quick search away. She now knew more superficial things about him than she had ever imagined she would want to know about a stranger, however what was slightly chilling to her, were the more private snippets that were so readily available. Pushing the weird vibes away she had focused on her task of ensuring she had all necessary information to help her in assisting him.

When the members reached them they quickly made their way into the airport. When they were safely inside and gained a slight reprieve from the bright camera-flashes of the media, Baekhyun turned to greet his new employees. Nodding his head at them and receiving their nods in return, he made a quick introduction to is members.

“Guys, this is Secretary Kang and these are the interns I told you about. They’ll be joining us on the tour.” Baekhyun waited while his well-mannered members exchanged their own nods with the group. Directing his attention to his manager, he asked “How are we doing check-in?”

“The staff is sorted, just you guys left. If you can all give me your passports, we’ll get you all checked-in. Your luggage has already been processed.” Manager Bang patiently collected the documents then nodded to Hyeran to join him. Wordlessly, she followed him to the check-in desk.

Strangely enough, Baekhyun also trailed behind them. As they waited for the tickets to print, he nudged her gently with his shoulder.

“So… Ready to go?” He grinned down at her as he rested his lightly against the counter, his back to his manager.

“Yes, Sir.” Hyeran mumbled. Why did he always have to make things awkward?

“Good… good. It’s going to be a busy trip, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. I’ll do my best to make it fun.” He winked at her.

As the passports and tickets had now been handed over to Manager Bang and he was turning back to re-join the others, she did not get the chance to question why exactly Byun Baekhyun thought it was his duty to make things ‘fun’ for her. Not that she had the guts to actually question him.

The airport-appointed guards asked them to split into groups to go through security and Hyeran quickly moved to Boyoung Unni’s side.

**Baekhyun POV**

She could not get away from him fast enough. Maybe that wink had been overkill, but her reactions amused him. Hyeran’s shy nature did not bother him, rather he found himself more intrigued. He had known she had this side to her from her hesitation that night, so long ago yet so fresh in his returned memory, but her youth on battlefields had somewhat shielded her naivety back then. It had been hard to reconcile the warrior who could throw down men thrice her size to the young girl who believed a chaste kiss could equal a consummation. In this life however, Baekhyun saw no sign of the fighter of the past, but he could certainly envision this version of Sundeok being just as innocent as the last. It was in the red that stained her cheeks when their eyes met, the way she quickly averted her gaze. Her actions spoke of inexperience and it could not possibly make him happier. It seemed fate decided he would be her first and only love in this life too, and he was determined to make that the case.

Flirting was something he had never really put much effort into, his boyish charm and wit usually drawing eager females in, like moths to a flame. But Hyeran was not like that. She did not simper or flutter her eyelashes at him, nor did she go out of her way to gain his attention, yet he needed to show her she had it. He suspected it would make her a tad uncomfortable, and he genuinely felt apologetic for that discomfort, however, some things were too important to leave to destiny. To be perfectly honest, he was very aware that Hyeran was an introvert, his research into her life and habits had made that very clear, even if he had not yet interacted with her enough to confirm it, but breaking obsessive behaviours was his forte. Just ask Junmyeon Hyung, who no longer prioritised seating for his belongings, or the EXO anti he had converted into a Baekhyun stan after a single reply*. If there was one thing he knew, it was people. It is what made him an effective CEO and fan favourite.

Sometimes you needed to be relentless and annoying to push through barriers and achieve real closeness. Unfortunately, chopsticks and bathroom locks would not be affective here. So Baekhyun would do what he had quite a talent in doing. He would get close to Ji Hyeran using the method he had once used on a similar introvert. He would just act like they were already the best of friends, poking and prodding and annoying until she gave in and let him in. Nobody could claim to do that better than Byun Baekhyun. After all, he could now confidently state that he was best friends with Doh Kyungsoo.

So when they had cleared security and reached their gate, Baekhyun waved off his leader hyung and took a seat next to Hyeran with the other interns, his manager and his secretary. His members huddled across the seating were giving him curious looks, evidently having recognised Hyeran from that disastrous first meeting. They had not said anything yet, but their eyes held plenty of questions. Baekhyun grinned, they would understand in due time.

**Hyeran POV**

It was an awkward feeling, sitting with Manager Bang on one side and Byun Baekhyun on the other. They, however, were completely relaxed.

“All of you take my number and send me a text so I have your contacts saved.” Manager Bang told the interns.

Obediently they all took out their phones to do just that. They had already exchanged this information with Secretary Kang. After saving his name under ‘Manager Bang Jinwook’, Hyeran quickly dropped a text with her name and was just about to lock her phone when a hand closed over hers.

“Here.” Baekhyun took her phone straight out of her grasp. He began to type away as if it belonged to him. “You should have my number too. Don’t sell it on the internet though.”

Hyeran’s eyes widened. Before she could stutter out a denial that she would never do something like that, he grinned up at her and winked.

“Just kidding. Relax. I sent myself a message to save your number too.” He handed the phone back to her, a teasing smile still present on his face. As if oblivious to the curious looks all the interns were now directing at him, Baekhyun got up and crossed the room to strike up a conversation with one of his band members. The tall one, with ears that stuck out a little in an endearing way. She made a mental note to learn all their names at some point.

Looking down Hyeran checked her new contact. He’d saved it under ‘Oppa’ with a heart to follow. She promptly changed it to ‘Boss’, because simply having his name could get her into hot water if she ever lost her phone. Checking her messages, she quickly let her Uncle know they were about to board and sent an okay and smiley face to her younger cousin’s demand of lots of photos. Jinhee was still not talking to her, but that was how she liked her best. As she scrolled up. she saw that her last sent message was a heart to ‘Boss’.

As she shifted her focus to Manager Bang, who was now explaining some important points to her, she only had one final thought on the matter: Byun Baekhyun was a weird man.

With the idols and their permanent staff safely tucked away in First Class, where they filled the whole section, the interns were free to find their seats in the less luxurious part of the plane. It meant little to Hyeran, but Doyoung Sunbae had shaken his said, muttering that he could not understand what difference a little extra leg room could provide, that justified the thousands of dollars that were spent on those seats. But who was she to judge when this was her very first time on a plane? Also, she was sure that the celebrities needed the privacy more than the extra room, and naturally their standards would be higher than her own, given their lavish lifestyles.

The interns split into two, with her and Boyoung Unni taking their two seats at the back of the plane and the others sitting together closer to front and their employer. The take-off was a scary experience, something she could not have really prepared for, but when her ears began to pop, she was grateful for the gum they had ensured to bring along. Once things settled down and Hyeran released her death-grip on the elder’s arm, Boyoung Unni decided that the 12.5 hour flight to Barcelona would be perfect to begin an Avengers marathon. Hyeran was game so they started from the first Iron Man. They made use of the headphone splitters Seohyun Unni had insisted were vital for travel, and shared a screen, pushing the armrest up between them and allowing freer movement. Stuffed in this small space at the very back of the plane with empty seats around them, it felt like they were in the only little world. Predictably, Boyoung Unni began to doze off not even five minutes into the film. Just as she was getting into Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Tony Stark, a light tap on her shoulder jostled her back into the real world.

Their boss was beaming down at her, his lips moving noiselessly. She must have looked puzzled because he chuckled and gestured to his ear, miming taking an earbud out. Flushing in embarrassment, she yanked them both out, startling Boyoung Unni, who also noticed their boss and straightened up.

“Hey girls, all good back here?” Baekhyun leaned against the empty seat in front of them, nodding politely at an airhostesses who passed by them.

They both nodded quickly, still surprised at his sudden appearance.

“We’re fine, Sir. Was there anything you needed?” Boyoung Unni was of course the quickest to reach her senses, despite having been snoozing moments ago. How Hyeran wished she could be like her.

“Actually I thought I could spend the flight getting Hyeran-ah up to speed with how we’ll operate as a team effectively. Would it be too much of an ask to steal your seat and companion? We can trade and you can have my seat.” Baekhyun phrased the question politely, but his tone did not indicate that it was a question, but rather an order.

Boyoung Unni did not show any further surprise on her face, whereas Hyeran’s had likely drained of colour. Either a tomato or a blank piece of paper, why did Byun Baekhyun keep going out of his way to elicit such responses from her? Why could he not just stay in his comfortable First Class seat for the duration of the flight?

“Oh, that’s perfectly alright, Sir. Actually, I was just going to sleep, so I’ll just take one of the empty seats nearby.” Hyeran could only watch as her friend gathered her belongings, somewhat glad she was not completely deserting her, but Boyoung Unni would still be too far away to save her from the mortification her awkwardness was about to cause. She could practically feel her pale face gaining that bright red hue already. She gathered herself enough to squeeze her friends hand in return after she lightly gripped hers as she crawled over her and into the aisle.

Baekhyun moved aside so that Boyoung Unni could pass him comfortably. Hyeran could hear her requesting another seat in the area from a flight attendant and felt despair when she realised it was not one close by, as the seats closest to them had issues with their safety belts. Boyoung Unni was now being seated half a cabin away.

“Hyeran-ah, do you think you could…” Baekhyun indicated from her aisle seat to the window seat with his hands and she felt like smacking herself hard. Of course he could not climb over her like Boyoung Unni had. A clumsy mess of limbs, she practically threw herself into the window seat, forgetting that she had not sat there from the beginning because just the thought had been terrifying.

“Thanks.” Byun Baekhyun planted himself into her abandoned seat as if it was his favourite armchair.

_*Not that it’s really important, but these are both true stories. More than once Baekhyun has mentioned how he thinks it is his role to break Suho’s persistent habits (which our leader hyung just laughs off in the way only a truly patient man can), and the anti-thing is about an anti who he qreplied to and how she quickly expressed love for him and went private on twitter. Nobody is doing it like Baekhyun_


	9. A Turbulent Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving in Spain. Awkward Situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really kinda hate this chapter, so apologies in advance. It's why I've been putting off updating it.

**Hyeran's POV**

As she drifted into consciousness, Hyeran became aware of an enticing scent. She turned her head into her pillow, hoping to take in more of that clean cinnamon that was calling out to her. Her pillow felt unusually comfortable and warm, so she nuzzled into it, clinging to the sleep that had not yet fully left her. She felt perfectly cocooned with pleasant heat surrounding her. Just as she was about to fall back in to her desired abyss, she felt a slight tap on her arm and registered the voice addressing her:

“Excuse me, Miss. It’s about time to land. If you could awaken Sir too.” It was one of the stunning flight attendants. As she moved on, Hyeran’s sleepy mind noted that it was fitting for them to be working mostly in the sky, because they all reminded her of angels. Her subconscious wonders if heavenly looks were a pre-requisite to work on airplanes.

Hyeran tried to blink away the fuzziness in her brain. Right, she was on a plane. She suddenly became aware of the weight resting on her own head and shoulder. Stiffening, her eyes widened as she realised what she had been using as a pillow was actually her boss’s shoulder, and the warmth she was enveloped in was actually the body heat radiating from the head resting against her own and the hand clamped over her opposite shoulder.

Quickly, she shuffled away, pushing off his head and hand. The jolt was enough to awaken Byun Baekhyun, who sleepily looked at her. Rather than panic at their inappropriate proximity, he let a lazy smile spread across his face.

“Mmm... Morning... Are we landing?” Baekhyun slowly sat up while ruffling his hair.

Hyeran tried to confirm this, but all that came out was her typical awkward mumble that she hoped he took as an affirmation.

To her surprise, she felt light fingers ghost over her own. Her boss was holding her hand gently.

“Did you have a good sleep?” He asked her.

Before she could even think to react to his weirdness, she suddenly found herself latching onto his forearm. The plane had given a frightening lurch as it began its descent.

The seatbelt sign had been switched on, and suddenly the previously smooth aircraft was rattling strongly. Her hold tightened around his arm, her nails digging in.

**Baekhyun’s POV** ****

All thoughts and remanence of sleep emptied his mind when he felt Hyeran hold onto him. She was clinging to him. His elation meant it took a minute for him to realise her panic.

Eventually, he realised that the plane was rocking threateningly, and the hand gripping him was trembling even more so. Gently, with his other hand, he manoeuvred hers so that their fingers were entwined and he could wrap a protective arm around her.

“Hey... hey... it’s just turbulence... I’ve got you.” He whispered gently into the ear that was now pressed closely to him. The shivers slowly subsided but her grip on him only tightened.

As the plane finally steadied into a smooth descent, Baekhyun held her close, whispering assurances of his presence into her ear. He waved off the air hostess who had been watching them curiously and was now making her way over to check on them. He made a mental note to instruct Secretary Kang to get in touch with his PR team as there would probably be some sort of article about him and a mystery girl sourced from this ‘op’.

Hyeran’s POV

As the plane touched down with a shudder, Hyeran finally came to her senses. The world was not ending and the arms she was holding onto for dear life were the last ones she should have grasped for.

‘Omo! Why do I keep doing this with him?’

Hyeran quickly retreated and cringed away from him. Busying herself by tucking her hair behind her ears, she turned away turned avoid facing him.

“S-sorry, Sir. I’m really sorry.”

She could feel her face burning and she kept stammering her apologies.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. First rough landing?” Baekhyun casually rested his palm on her forearm, lightly patting as if to sooth her. This made her tense up more.

“F-first flight actually. I’m really really sorry, Sir.” Hyeran faced him, wanting to express her apology was genuine.

He looked surprise at her admission. Likely he was not used to meeting people who had never been abroad.

“Nonsense. I’m sorry I didn’t ask whether you had flown before. This must have been scary.” Baekhyun looked genuinely apologetic, an unconscious pout forming on his lips. “We’re going to have a lot of flights on the tour. Will it be a problem?”

“No, not at all. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to fly and see more of the world, I just was a little surprised at the landing.” Hyeran rushed to assure him that she would not create a fuss in the future. She chose not to mention her chronic fear of heights and how she felt she’d never board another plane again if there was another option.

“Well, I can assure you it’s not usually this bad. Must be windy today.” Baekhyun dropped the pout and revealed his pearly white teeth in a big grin. “And you’ll love Spain. It’s a beautiful country and Barcelona is one of the cities I really like.”

“I’m sure it’s beautiful.” Hyeran faked a smileand feigned interest as he started to tell her about city.

He kept this going even as they were allowed to leave their seats and empty the plane. Even as they joined the rest of the tour, he kept the one-sided conversation going. Only as they entered the crowds for border control did he settle into her preferred silence.

Hyeran knew she needed to get used to his presence, especially as she had been charged with relaying all necessary information to him, but he was just so peculiar.

Like now, he was almost leading her protectively through the swarms of people, guiding her with a hand on the small of her back. Really, she should be creating a safe path for him. Weren’t celebrities immune to being gentlemanly?

Baekhyun POV

The rush at the airport was immense as expected. Once they cleared immigration, Baekhyun finally parted form Hyeran. Fans would certainly surround all the members and he didn’t want her to have to experience that particular craziness just yet.

“Jinwook Hyung, the staff and interns should go ahead. It’ll get crazy when we get out there.” Baekhyun pulled his manager aside.

Junmyeon who was close by seconded his words and, besides the managers and a few bodyguards, the rest of the staff went ahead.

**Hyeran's POV**

She hadn’t really expected the magnitude of fans that would be waiting at the airport. She felt lucky not to be walking with the members, and almost pitied them. But hey this was the job they chose for themselves. They must like the attention. As they would be travelling separately to the boys, there was no need to wait for them.

The car ride to the hotel was not too lengthy and it was easy for the students to occupy themselves by marvelling at the unfamiliar sights they could see through the vehicle’s window. Kibum Sunbae was emphatically rattling off a list of must-see places, but it was so long, Hyeran just knew he’d never make it everywhere in their one afternoon-off at this stop on the tour. His enthusiasm was contagious though, and the mood in the staff bus was lifted, despite their long flight, as the more experienced staff all pitches into the conversation.

It was strange, business students, whose lives revolves around maths and textbooks, mingling with professional dancers, stylists and make-up artists, and but for her crippling anxiety, Hyeran might have enjoyed to buzzing conversations around her. As it was, she kept her cap pulled down over her head and only spoke when directly spoken too, wishing she could blend into BoyoungUnni’s side. However, Doyoung Sunbai seemed to notice her reserved posture and tried to engage her in a conversation on one of the other subjects they shared. As a hardworking and capable senior, she quite admired his work ethic, so it was easy to slip into a conversation about hypothesis testing and statistical models.

The hotel they arrived at was grand even at first glance and upon entering, its lobby was jaw-dropping. The staff quickly began arranging the luggage that had arrived ahead of them, and the interns were quick to help. Concert clothing etc was to be transported straight to the venue, whilst the members' luggage would be sent to their rooms. Security around the hotel was tightened to allow an easier check-in, so the idols could be directed to their rooms faster before any fans descended. As the members and managers headed to the main desk, the staff had the task of managing all this. 

Doyoung Sunbae helped her to identify and pull aside Baekhyun's luggage and they were given the task of transporting it up to his room with the hotel porter. Seeing as this was a full European tour, to countries where the weather varied drastically, there was a lot of stuff, and area in the lift was quite constricted. With all three of them being pressed against the side walls Doyoung Sunbae placed himself between her and the porter. It should have been exceedingly uncomfortable to be so close to her senior, but he was not at all the intimidating type. He smiled at her once with a shrug as if to say 'what-to-do?', then looked away and didn't glance back. This put her at ease and she did not have a flaming tomato for a face by the time they left the elevator. 

They had just finished dragging all the suitcases into an overly luxurious suite when Manager Bang entered behind them. 

"Good job guys, you got it all in. Okay, so Hyeran-ah you keep his spare room-key in case of emergencies etc. Doyoung-ah, you follow me down and we'll sort out the staff rooms, Hyeran-ah could you get started unpacking a few of the warmer weather things from that bag, also his daily essentials, wash-bag etc.? Make sure he doesn't need anything when he gets in here and I'll come get you in a bit." Manager Bang prattled of his instructions and handed her the room-key he was holding. Hyeran had barely nodded her understanding before he was heading out of the room, Doyoung racing to keep up with him.

Hyeran sighed as she began to haul the mentioned bag into the bedroom first. The suite consisted of a fancy parlour attached to a small but expensive-looking kitchen area, and a huge bedroom with an attached bathroom. There was a balcony leading out of both the bedroom and parlour. Hyeran tried to work as quickly as possible, wanting to be done with her task before Baekhyun arrived. However, as she was depositing his wash-bag into the bathroom, she heard the suite's main door unlock. She hurriedly placed his over-priced looking shampoos on the shelf in the large walk-in shower and retreated, making sure give the bathroom a once-over before exiting. It was ridiculously big, with a bathtub about the size of her bedroom, but rather than judging its size and scale, she checked the towels were all in place and his toiletries arranged neatly. Knowing it was as good as it could get, she stepped back into the bedroom. 

Baekhyun was at the dressing table removing his wristwatch and shot her a grin when she crossed the doorway. Hyeran managed a small smile and nod, hurrying to finish her work. The silence was palpable as she tried to make quick work of hanging up his clothes. Not breaking the silence, he began helping her.She had already placed what she assumed were a pair of his pyjamas on the bed and he stepped in beside her and swiftly placed his already folded underwear into a drawer in the dresser. 

As they finished up, he cleared his throat, "Thanks for this."

"No problem." she muttered. Although this was not quite what she had in mind for work-experience, he was doing her and her classmates a massive favour letting them intern at his company. To be honest, Hyeran was grateful to get to see more of the world, but she was more interested in the work they would be doing when they returned back to Seoul. So, she would grin and bear it the whole tour, ready to learn whatever she could along the way, all as part of the journey to the actual office experience she needed. She headed out into the parlour.

The last thing she had to do was move the remaining suitcases into the bedroom, but before she could lift anything, Baekhyun stopped her hands.

"No, leave it. I got it." He waved away any potential arguments. "I missed my workout this morning."

She could only watch as he made quick work of moving the remaining luggage into his bedroom. As he finished, the doorbell rang. She quickly let Manager Bang in after checking through the eye-hole.

"Alright Baekhyun, are you all set?" At his nod, he continued. "Well okay, I have your secretary and an intern in a room on this floor with the remaining members and managers and the rest of the staff are in the rooms the floor below. You know the drill, no wandering off without letting me (or your lovely intern, Hyeran) know. I'm across the hall with the rest of the managers if you need me. Room-service menu is on the nightstand, but there are a couple of great restaurants downstairs too. Need anything, call me or now Hyeran too. Wow, it feels good to have extra hands on board."

"Hey, she's my extra pair of hands, not yours. And don't worry, I've done this enough times by now." Baekhyun rolled his eyes at his manager. "What room is Hyeran in.?"

"She's in 2905 with Boyoung on the floor below us. Got the boys sharing a room and the other girl is in with your secretary on our floor." He looked at Hyeran, gthen asked. " Unless you's like to share with Secretay Kang and be on this floor?"

Her answer to that must have been clear on her face, because Baekhyun suddenly snorted. "I think she's happy where she is. Anyways, she's just a message or call away, and the company pays her phone bill."

"They do?" Hyeran and Manager Bang asked at same time. Using your phone abroad was pricey.

"They do." Baekhyun confirmed. He just laughed at his manager who began to complain about how his own phone bill was not covered. He said to Hyeran, "Let the others know to send their phone bill to accounts when we get back."

Manager Bang was still sulking as he said his goodbye to Baekhyun, handing Hyeran her own room key. She was about to follow him out, but her boss stopped her.

"Do you want to have din-" One of the Exo members waltzing in through the now open door stopped him. From what Hyeran had researched in the last few days, this would be the youngest, Sehun.

"Hyung, all the members are gonna eat in Junmyeon Hyung's room. Leggo!" With that he turned and strutted back out.

"Sehun-nie, I don't -" Sehun didn't wait to hear what Baekhyun had to say, they could faintly hear him ringing a different doorbell.

"Was there anything else you needed, sir?" Hyeran asked Baekhyun.

"Hmm... umm, no. You go ahead." He looked strangely reluctant.

"Thank you, sir." Hyeran quickly turned and walked out. The strangest thing was she could swear she heard him muttering expletives at his youngest member as she exited.


End file.
